Belmont Clan
The is, by far, the most important and prominent clan in the Castlevania series. Despite their role in history, they are not, however, the only main protagonists seen throughout the franchise, but typically play an integral role in most games' storylines. Since the ninth century, the Belmonts are entrusted with the duty of slaying Count Dracula and various other creatures of the night. For this purpose they use as their main weapon the sacred whip known as the Vampire Killer, which has the power to destroy any entity of darkness, and also has the power to destroy the count. They also use other weapons to accomplish this, which coupled alongside their skill and power made them formidable enemies of the creatures of darkness. History ''Castlevania'' saga The Belmont Clan was not formed with the purpose of destroying creatures of the night until after Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, when Leon Belmont vowed to kill the night. It was in the same time period that the Vampire Killer, the Belmonts' primary weapon was created. Afterward, the Belmonts' sole duty became protecting Transylvania from darkness.Castlevania 20th Anniversary Pre-order Bundle. Konami. 2006. Timeline. 1094: Castlevania Lament of Innocence. Sometime between the events of Lament of Innocence and Dracula's Curse, the Belmonts showed great power and this led to the people of Transylvania fearing them. Due to this, they were banished and lived away from civilization for a long time, until 1476 when Dracula waged war upon humanity. At this time, no other person, man or woman, was able to stand up against Dracula's forces.Akumajō Densetsu instruction manual. Konami. 1989. p.3, 4, 5, 6. RC-845. The church was left with no choice but to find a Belmont, which proved to be a difficult task as they could not find a Belmont anywhere in Transylvania. Their search gave results, however, when they found a youth who went by Trevor Belmont. Trevor defeated Dracula and after this display of heroism, the Belmonts were loved as heroes and allowed to live among people once more.Akumajō Densetsu ending. Until the 19th century, the Belmonts steadily defeated Dracula during his resurrections. Sometime after Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, however, the Belmonts vanished and did not appear again until 1999, when Julius Belmont came and defeated Dracula once and for all. Until that point, the Morris Clan took hold of the Vampire Killer, as the Belmonts were not allowed to touch it until that time.Castlevania 20th Anniversary Pre-order Bundle. Konami. 2006. Timeline. 1797: Castlevania Symphony of the Night. Dark Night Prelude saga The progenitor of the Belmont Clan's vampire slaying ways in this universe was Sonia Belmont. Sonia was born in a remote mountain village located in Transylvania. One night, when Sonia was 17 years old, she encountered a young man named Alucard. The two formed a bond together.Akumajō Dracula: Dark Night Prelude instruction booklet. Konami. 1997. p. 3 and 4. RK138-J1. However, the tragedy suddenly stroke — the mansion where Sonia was raised was attacked by grotesque monsters serving Count Dracula. This Demon King had been invading European countries one by one with his army of monsters. He did this out of revenge for the death of his wife at the hands of humanity. Sonia found her grandfather, mortally wounded. Her grandfather told her it's time for her power to be unleashed. Sonia took her grandfather's whip as a memento in her hand, setting out to Dracula's Castle. Sonia traveled across the Transylvanian countryside to Dracula's Castle, destroyed Dracula's minions, and eventually defeated the Count himself. She vowed that her descendants would be there to put an end to him again, if he were to return one day.Castlevania Legends ending. After having had crossed paths with Sonia, Alucard decided to seal himself away before she would press on to face his father, unable to deal with seeing his father dying as well. However, Sonia gave birth to a child soon after. His name was Trevor Belmont and he would continue both Alucard's legacy and that of the Belmont Clan.Alucard: Do not trouble yourself about it, Sonia. Now, I must sleep. I fear we shall not meet again. Farewell, my beloved, my beautiful vampire hunter.Famitsu 64+. Timeline. May issue. 1999. Power and means of combat It is unknown what power the Belmonts possess or if they even possess any supernatural powers, aside from the magical powers some of Trevor's descendants have due to his marriage with Sypha Belnades.Castlevania (Lament of Innocence) Guide. History of Castlevania. Family Tree. Konami & NTT PUB. 2003. This magical power is perhaps most prominent in Juste Belmont, as he uses spell books to empower his sub-weapons.Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance instruction manual. Konami. 2002. AGB-ACHE-USA. Julius also mentions that he has magical power.J': ''I fear you are correct. Especially since I have magical powers. Whether this is the same kind as the one Juste wields or not is unknown. However, when Leon Belmont, the eldest known link in the Belmont's lineage of vampire Hunters, first meets Joachim Armster, he's able to perceive the presence of vampirism in him.'''Leon to Joachim: This feeling... Are you a vampire?! This could hint to a natural predisposition throughout his family's bloodline to detect and confront vampires, or the forces of darkness in general. Also, during the events of Curse of Darkness, it's stated that only the blood of a Belmont has the power to open a portal to another dimension beneath Dracula's Castle, and indeed it was obtaining a sample of Trevor's blood, Isaac's true intention for fighting him. A similar event takes place in Dawn of Sorrow, where it's only with the power of a Belmont, in this case Julius, that an energy barrier can be dispelled, granting access to the Mine of Judgment, the lair where Death dwells. Some have mentioned this power of Belmonts. For example, Simon Belmont says "That is the power of a Belmont!" in Castlevania Judgment after completing his super finisher. Soma Cruz also states, after defeating Julius, that "You took it easy on me. I could tell. The strength of a Belmont... No... the strength of a vampire hunter is greater than this.", which may imply that vampire hunters in general have a certain strength. Furthermore, the Belmonts were exiled because their powers were seen as fearsome by the people of Transylvania. However, it has not been confirmed if the Belmonts have a special power (aside from the magical power of Sypha) or not. The Belmonts' primary weapon is the Vampire Killer, an extremely powerful holy whip that is especially effective against evil and unholy creatures, such as vampires. Rinaldo: Now, that whip has become the bane of the children of the night. Its full power can only be used without any consequences by a full-blooded member of the Belmont Clan. The Belmonts have also used sub-weapons as their other means to attack and they are generally very skilled in combat, whether it be with the Vampire Killer or sub-weapons. Thus far, the Belmont clan has been the most powerful one in Castlevania due to all this. Belmont Clan members ''Castlevania'' saga Leon Belmont Leon Belmont is the founder of the clan's tradition of vampire hunting and also the first known wielder of the Vampire Killer in its complete form, although he did not defeat Dracula, as Dracula did not exist at that time. He was a knight once, but left his knighthood to pursue his betrothed's kidnappers, which led to the events of the game. After his efforts, the Belmonts' duty became protecting the people from darkness. Trevor C. Belmont Trevor is the first Belmont to have defeated Dracula and as such, has gained legendary status. Dracula had attacked Transylvania with his legions and no man could stand against him, which forced the church to find a member of the Belmont clan. This led them to find Trevor, whom defeated hordes of Dracula's legions, found valuable allies on his way, and ultimately defeated Dracula himself. Christopher Belmont A hundred years after, Dracula would re-emerge, more powerful than ever, and haunt Transylvania again. However, Christopher Belmont stood ready to face the Count and defeated him in combat. Dracula feigned defeat, however, and waited 15 years to spot an opening, which he did when Christopher's son, Soleiyu Belmont was born. ‎He possessed Soleiyu after the boy turned 15 and forced Christopher to tread through five castles, face Soleiyu in combat and defeat Dracula again. Christopher saved Soleiyu and came out victorious. Soleiyu Belmont Christopher's son and used as Dracula's vessel. He was freed from his influence when he was defeated in battle by his father. He inherited the whip and title of Vampire Hunter afterward. Simon Belmont Simon is possibly the most famous member of the clan. Even though it was rumored that Dracula becomes stronger with each resurrection, Simon still went into the castle alone and fought his way through, eventually defeating the Count. He was badly wounded from the battle, however, and Dracula had cast a curse on Simon before his death. This curse did not allow the wound to be healed, and it was slowly killing him. It was not until 1698 that Simon, through a ghastly revelation, discovered the way to cure this curse, which involved gathering Dracula's remains and burning them. However, after gathering them, a sixth body piece previously unknown to Simon caused the Count to revive. He defeated him and burned his remains, being freed from the curse, and was ultimately victorious, saving Transylvania once more. Juste Belmont The castle had appeared suddenly, with no prior attack or ceremony. Juste had to explore the castle and discover its secrets and finally found out that it was through Maxim's other personality that the castle had resurfaced, albeit without its true master. Juste finally fought to save Maxim and, in the end, battled a wraith born out of Maxim's feelings that took over the appearance of Dracula. He saved the world and his friends from Dracula's corruption. Richter Belmont Richter's town was attacked by dark legions and as soon as he found out, he rode toward the town on his carriage. Unfortunately, he was late as Dracula kidnapped his fiancée, Annette and three other maidens from the village.‎ Richter made his way through many formidable creatures and obstacles. He saved all four maidens and defeated Dracula, saving the world from darkness once more. Richter has also got the reputation of being the most powerful vampire hunter at the time. Julius Belmont Julius appeared sometime in the 20th century, the first full-blooded Belmont heir since Richter, and took up the whip. He, along with some comrades, defeated Dracula once and for all in the year 1999, sealing his castle inside a solar eclipse that took place. Julius Belmont was the strongest vampire hunter of his time, as confirmed on Aria of Sorrow. Gaiden Members from the Belmont clan who appear in works set in alternative timelines that spun off from the official timeline. Sid Belmont Trevor's descendant and possible grandson or great-grandson based on information from the book. Together with the descendants of the other allies that helped his forefather Trevor, he manages to subdue Dracula once again. Desmond Belmont A member of the Belmont active during the 17th century. His parents were killed by one of Dracula's followers. Together with his sisters Zoe and Dolores, he infiltrates the mansion of a cult that wishes to revive Dracula. However, they were unable to stop the ritual in time and Desmond is forced to fight the Count. He is victorious and manages to escape the castle, which is still standing for reasons unknown. Zoe and Dolores Belmont Desmond's younger sisters who aid him during his trek through the Order's mansion. They are both able to handle the Vampire Killer, but are not old enough to wield it yet. Simon Belmont A famous actor from the 1950's who is named after his famous forefather Simon. While shooting a movie based on his ancestor's exploits in Dracula's Castle, he accidentally breaks the seal that kept the Count locked away. Using the heirlooms of Simon, his armor and whip, he manages to put an end to the vampire. Dark Night Prelude Saga Sonia Belmont Sonia Belmont was born in a remote mountain village located in Transylvania. One night, when Sonia was 17 years old, she encountered a young man named Alucard who was searching his father that he never met. The two formed a bond together. However, the tragedy suddenly stroke — the mansion where Sonia was raised was attacked by grotesque monsters serving Count Dracula and her grandfather became mortally wounded. Sonia took her grandfather's whip as a memento in her hand, setting out to Dracula's Castle. She managed to defeat him and gave birth to a son, fathered by Alucard, soon after. Trevor Belmont Sonia and Alucard's son in this timeline. He grew up to be a hero and eventually confronted Dracula as well. ''Blood of the Demon - Nightmare of Blood Saga'' The novel Castlevania: Blood of the Demon - Nightmare of Blood takes place in its own universe. In this world, the Belmonts are not related by blood. Each generation, a "guardian" is born that is destined to take the name of Belmont. Civil Belmont Civil Belmont is Lias's predecessor guardian. She appears in this novel. Lias Belmont Lias Belmont is Ray's predecessor guardian. Ray Belmont Ray Belmont is Simon's predecessor guardian. Also appears in this novel. His real surname is Andrews. Simon Belmont A different incarnation of Simon. He became Kresnik after dying and managed to defeat Dracula and was worshiped as a god afterward. His real surname is Werner. References in other media *In the PC game Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines there is a security unit at the end of the test chambers of the Fu Syndicate named the "Belmont Squad". *In the PS2 and Xbox game Van Helsing, one of the libraries Gabriel Van Helsing walks through contains a book about "an ancient clan of vampire hunters called the Belmonts". *In the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis game Zombies Ate My Neighbors, the vampire enemy's name is "Vlad Belmont". Makes sense, since the game was also published by Konami. *The manga series Zatch Bell!, called in Japan Konjiki no Gasshu!! (金色のガッシュ!!?, lit. Golden Gash!!) featured a character named Sherry Belmont (ベルモンド シェリー Berumondo Sherī). She assists her partner Brago (who has has a slight resemblance to a vampire), and her main-weapon is a flail. *In the Rosario + Vampire II manga series, the main character, Tsukune Aono, learns to control his vampire powers through the use of a magical whip that dispels demon power, called "Belmont". This is clearly a reference to the Vampire Killer and the Belmont Clan. *''Otomedius Excellent'' features a Belmont character playable in this game, her name is Kokoro Belmont, and she's the actual guardian of the clan (2011). References de:Belmont Clan es:Clan Belmont Category:Belmont Category:Clans Category:Storyline Elements